Raven's Herald
January, 599

CAPULUS CHANGES HANDS

The year of 598 saw many fundamental changes in the political structure of the Duchy of Ravenholt. The ascension of a new Duke, and the replacement of the two county system with a system of four viscounts were among the most drastic upheavals, with long-reaching consequences which we are now only beginning to see. One of the more recent and controversial political changes in Ravenholt was the removal of Baron Johan of Capulus and his court. The Baron was removed from his title for charges which are being kept private by all sides of the conflict: the Raven's Herald was unable to learn what the precise reasons were for his replacement. Unverified sources and hearsay seem to indicate numerous small infractions which added up to a greater problem in the eyes of Count Gaerath and His Grace. Johan's entire court was removed along with him, though they were accused of no lack in fulfilling their duties and their removal was considered honorable. After Johan was stripped of the title of Baron, Gabriel Wolvestride of Stormwatch was named Baron-regent of Capulus; it is understood that he will assume the full title of Baron in the Spring. He was made a knight by Viscountess Rhyanna Endarr shortly after his naming as regent. The removal of Johan's court along with him has caused some controversy and upset in the Duchy, most notably among the former court of Capulus. Valinger Stormcrow, former knight of Capulus under Johan told the Herald, " My oath to the land remains even though I no longer serve on the court; I will always be there when Capulus needs me. I fought hard to drive back the Sessuar from her and succeeded in taking back Ripplemead. I would gladly go to my final death for her if need be. Silverthorne, also formerly of the court of Capulus said that while he felt that Johan's removal was, "completely justified, and within the bounds of law, and in my opinion, the right choice." he was angered by the removal of former knights Valinger Stormcrow and Thorge Cyclos, claiming that they" Committed no crime, and held to their oath, and were stripped of title for it. " The Raven's Herald was unable to reach former Baron Johan for comment. The new Baron regent has settled quietly into command of his barony. Gabriel Wolvestride has a long history of service to the Duchy and to Tyrra, most recently as leader of the heroic commoner group Stormwatch, which is expected to become his court in the Spring.

CHAOS GATE OPENS IN WESTMARCH

This New Year's Day, a number of Ravenholt travelers gathered near the estate of a deceased former noble of Evendarr known as Roseheart. Roseheart was involved in the summoning of the Reaver an had dealings with the Black Rose. His estate was destroyed after his death, but mysteriously appeared to have been rebuilt overnight near the turning of the year, and there were rumors of hauntings and of undead in the area. Numerous adventurers gathered to explore it, to deal with the undead threat, and to seek out treasure that might be left there; others were driven to seek shelter in a nearby inn by a ferocious blizzard. The travelers almost immediately discovered that all was not as it seemed. The inn was haunted by strange invisible spirits which may have been some form of chaos elemental the proprietor of the inn himself appeared to be an insubstantial spirit. Most importantly a gate that was apparently to the plane of Chaos itself had opened nearby. Many of the adventurers went to speak to a powerful Chaos elemental that resided in the gate, attempting to discover what had happened. The chaos elemental and its invisible "children" or minions, oddly enough did not seem hostile, though their behavior was unpredictable and their motives obscure. Apparently the gate had opened when Roseheart attempted a ritual of some kind and the chaos elemental twisted it to his own purposes. The elemental, referred to as the gatekeeper by the adventurers who encountered it, spoke of seven rooms that would come into phase over the next few days, each holding Roseheart's secrets and lore. In order to learn how to access these rooms and to attain this treasure trove of knowledge, first the gathered adventurers had to break a vicious code that had been discovered early in the gathering. After many hours of labor this was finally accomplished, primarily by Anastasia, Tyrus of the ARC, and Tolarus MacLeod. Groups were sent to each of the rooms where papers were discovered ranging from ritual scrolls -some of them with entirely new effects- to note son magical theory, to philosophy, to coded information that seems to pertain to Xylar. The information was largely collected and organized by the efforts of Niviene of Westmarch. The groups were put together under the guidance of Sir Kyril of Eastwyck, Vladimir of Westmarch, Amra Asland Al-Quadim, and Kestryn Ardaen, and later by Baroness Ganthe Overwind of Eastwyck, who had arrived late with more of her court. Some of the rooms held undead guardians so powerful and vicious that they had to be ventured two or three times before the heroes of Ravenholt could finally win through. Rumors had indicated that the Black Rose might be in the area, and the snowbound travelers discovered that the nefarious undead group was indeed about; They wished to enter the room that would open midnight on Saturday to obtain some item or items that Roseheart had held for them there. The assembled warriors then faced a harsh dilemma. They lacked the numbers and the power to be certain of surviving a direct confrontation with the Black Rose, but it was clear that for the good of the Duchy, they must be stopped from gaining what they sought if at all possible. Baroness Ganthe led the brave heroes who were willing to try to trap the Black Rose in the room. which would seal for a year after its hour of being in phase was up. The warriors believed that they were going to near-certain death, but ventured forth anyway that these vile enemies of the Duchy of Ravenholt would not triumph unopposed. A battle ensued against several of the Black Rose's infamous number, but the undead were in the end able to escape the room by way of a strange shadowy curtain which had been seen in earlier rooms and which transported anyone touching it to just outside the room in a random direction. The heroes pursued, but were unable to catch the undead, who presumably got what they came for and left the area. No losses were taken in the battle, however. It is currently uncertain whether the Chaos gate remains open, or the Gatekeeper still in place, and the nature of the items gained by the Black Rose is as yet unknown.

HARMONIC BREAKTHROUGH

On Sunday January 3rd,599 a major advance was made in harmonic magic. Notes recovered on several adventures detailed experiments with the creation of harmonic foci. This experiment was replicated with success. Shaman Kainon Andrews of ARC assisted by Tyrus and Anastasia was able to copy a harmonic focus of Heal Disease. This is an important success because harmonic magic has no currently known formal magic system. Harmonic foci have been known to exist, but previously, their manner of creation was a mystery.

LETTERS TO THE PEOPLE OF RAVENHOLT

I would simply like to convey my many thanks to all who helped me about a month ago when I came to Ravenholt seeking help. I do not know any of you personally, and I am sorry to say that I didn't learn names either. Still, I would like to thank here those that I do recall.-Stormwatch for protecting me while a solution to my problem was sought. -the two gypsies and all other townspeople who fought the two who hunted me, as I could not affect them myself. -the two men who love the land so much who stood as my protectors while we were on the beach - most especially I would like to thank Captain Delahr for giving Mika, my former crew member the proper funeral that she deserved, and for everything else he did for me. Thank you all! I am certain that I would not be alive if it were not for your help and protection against those who hunted me. If ever I may be of service to any of you, please do no hesitate to call upon me at the Garson's Bridge Orphanage. Humbly yours, Aribella Kid

Soldiers Rest Inn

Greetings and Welcome to all! This is to announce the Grand Opening of the Soldiers Rest Inn on the weekend of February 5th thru the 7th, 599 Y.E. We are located about two hours south and west of Ravenholt City, following the shoreline of Lake Ardynn. For our Grand Opening Weekend there will be many various entertainments to delight the senses. Music, Storytelling, Dance, a Bardic Competition, and a Carnival are scheduled for your participation and enjoyment. Bring your Festive Best for a weekend of enjoyment. On a sadder note, I am also looking to hire adventurers to help solve a mystery. An old traveling companion of mine met his demise in some ruins nearby; as of this time he has not resurrected. I seek information as to the cause of his death, and seek to eliminate the threat for the future prosperity of my inn. Midnight Ritual Seals Necropolis At about eleven o'clock on Saturday night of the last gathering, various nobles went through the town of Ravenholt looking for casters of both Earth and Celestial rituals. When these casters gathered at the mage's guild, they heard that they were needed for a ritual which would prevent Ravenholt form being overrun by creatures from the necropolis. According to Tolivan, the ritual caster who informed the Mage's Guild of the danger, the boundaries of the necropolis were weakening, and would collapse at midnight. Those boundaries ,together with the waters of the lake had prevented the necropolis from attacking Ravenholt directly, and their disappearance would result in undead and other creatures emerging from the ground for a massive assault. In order to cast the ritual, Tolivan required ten people whose birthdays corresponded to sigils marked with the signs of the zodiac.(two of the sigils, Bull and Salamander were not available.) Although he preferred ritual casters the birthdays of the participants were the most important factor; one of the sigils was given to Sabrina Ohmsford, an earth caster who could not cast rituals, and another to Brooke of the Brotherhood of the Dragon, a warrior who not only knew no magic, but could not read. The participants were taught a ritual phrase which they had to repeat in the correct order. Then accompanied by a large body of defenders, including Stormwatch, they proceeded to the entrance of the necropolis. In the passageways of the necropolis the citizens of Ravenholt were attacked by waves of undead including casters wielding celestial ,earth (including much necromancy) and elemental powers. At last the ritual casters, led by Tolivan arrived at the central pillar of the necropolis and while their defenders held off the hordes of attackers, they successfully completed the ritual. t the completion of the ritual, Tolivan collapsed in death, his body dissipating to ashes. Dame Quin Tarmeger and Alexa were blasted by a hostile force at the conclusion of the ritual and both required life spells. Although the undead continued to attack even after the ritual was complete, not a single citizen was lost. Two or three fighters were accidentally lost during skirmishes, and parties of rescuers returned for them. The only resurrection was that of Tolivan, whose spirit was transported by Alexa so that it could not be claimed by the necropolis. Upon return to the town, casters were taken to the Mage's Guild for identification, but nothing untoward was found. They then went to the Healer's Guild for meditation, at which time it was discovered that at least two of the sigil bearers had suffered weakening of their spirits as if they had died. The two whose spirits are known to have been weakened were Brooke of the Brotherhood of the Dragon, and Daphne Green of the Healer's Guild. The names of the sigil bearers were: Sarinne (Bear), Lady Chastity Wolvestride(Gryphon), Dougan Steelforge (Dolphin), Captain Eliyahu ben Nachman (Phoenix), Tristemere Mirabad (Pegasus), Sabrina Ohmsford (Serpent), Daedalus (Unicorn), Daphne Geen (Raven), Brooke (Turtle), and Keyla (Dragon).

OBITUARIES Angus MacGreggor died his final death in a Voltan border skirmish early in the month of December 598. He served as General for the Cumberland Armies 590-591 and was one of Ravenholt's first Sheriffs. He is survived by his brother, Viscount Daramor Darkcloud: his wife, Dame Mother Merry MacGreggor, and their two children, Ian Merrith Turloke and Catherine Ember Alyx.

PUBLIC NOTICES

Missing! Seeking information on the location of Aurora Bronwyn. She has been missing for some time and her family is EXTREMELY worried about her. Those with ANY information about her location, please, bring it to the ARC as soon as possible. I thank you in advance for everyone's assistance in these endeavors.

VALLENTINES Don't forget to send in your Vallentines for the February issue of the Raven's Herald! Vallentines are an annual tradtion of the Herald, named after their Founder, former Herald Editor Vallen Brynlydon. This year, Vallentines are free; originally, a fee accompanied each Vallentine and the proceeds were donated to the Griswold orphanage. So send a message to someone you love, and place a Vallentine now!

Anastasia and Johan: The gauntlet has been thrown down. I take the challenge you so valiantly make. Know now that I will be the victor, I accept no defeat.

Seeking ritual components of all variety, especially the rarest of kinds. I will pay very well for them. Seek Shaman Kainon Andrews at the ARC near the Healer's Guild.

The ARC has bought the ritual scroll for Channel Harm Undead. The scroll has a limited amount of uses and so we would like to make sure it gets utilized most efficiently. All those interested in use of the scroll, please contact Shaman Kainon Andrews at the ARC. We will determine who is best qualified. Thank you. Shaman Kainon Andrews.

Congratulations to Koshi, being named the new Guildmaster of the Ravenholt Healer's Guild. May you learn much, and teach all in your new position as guildmaster.

Announcing the joining of Lochinvar MacLeod and Annlyra MacBryan into the lifelong commitment of marriage. The ceremony will be performed during the spring thaw. We wish them a long and prosperous marriage together.- Voltreg and all their friends and family at the ARC.

To All Who Would Hear: Oberon Anduin of the Court of Cumberland has taken on the mantle of Champion of Arms fo the Barony of Cumberland on the 9th day of October. On the 11th day of October, the position of Court Healer was granted to Dulcinea Bronwyn. -Sir Alan Moonwind

In case anyone was wondering, the two-handed coppered sword that I found seemed to have been in the possession of the late Jai. I returned it to its former owner, Voltreg. I anyone has a will written by Jai, or knows what he wanted done with his belongings, let me know, otherwise I will guess what he would have wanted us to use what he had for the good and defense of the town.-Sheriff Logan.

WANTED: I am in need of Meteoric Iron, Lightning storm Foci, Lightning bolt Foci, Elven steel, Dwarven steel, Dragon iron, and any form of elemental earth in order to fulfill an order. Please contact Amra Asland Al-Quadim! Safe journey to you!

The Group Omega is accepting applications from any wishing to become members and/or serve as town guardsmen. Contact Sherriff Logan.

To Corwin of the Healer's Guild: Thanks for finding and saving me when all others did not. I owe you. Guardsman Kir

Looking for those knowledgeable in spirits, and how to communicate with them. All time spent in assisting me will be compensated well. Please seek Shaman Kainon Andrews at the ARC within the Ravenholt capital.

For those seeking teaching in ritual magics. Many people have learned the basics of ritual casting, but still seek more knowledge. Any needing assistance in learning earth ritual and potential casting abilities please stop by the ARC in Ravenholt capital and ask for Kainon Andrews.